News Q’s

Have you ever taken part in a protest? What were you protesting, and what was the experience like?

After Reading

Read the entire article and answer these questions, supporting your responses by citing evidence from the text.

1. What are some of the college campuses where student protests have taken place this week?

Anemona Hartocollis and Jess Bidgood write about what has inspired these protests:

In interviews, students say they have been inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement that grew out of the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by the police in Ferguson, Mo. They say the victory of protesting students and football players at the University of Missouri has spurred them to demand that their universities provide a safe space for students of color.

2. What is the Black Lives Matter movement?

3. What happened at the University of Missouri this week?

4. What are “microaggressions” that students at Smith College spoke about?

5. What are some of the other changes that protesting students want their schools to make?

On university campuses across the country, from Mizzou to Yale, we have two noble forces colliding with explosive force.

One is a concern for minority or marginalized students and faculty members, who are often left feeling as outsiders in ways that damage everyone’s education. At the University of Missouri, a black professor, Cynthia Frisby, wrote, “I have been called the N-word too many times to count.”

The problem is not just racists who use epithets but also administrators who seem to acquiesce. That’s why Mizzou students — especially football players — used their clout to oust the university system’s president. They showed leadership in trying to rectify a failure of leadership.

But moral voices can also become sanctimonious bullies.

Then discuss:

Do you think he’s right that “moral voices can become sanctimonious bullies”? How so?

How should schools balance this complex challenge of trying to create a safe campus where all students feel they belong while also preserving the right to free speech?

When does free expression cross the line to becoming hate speech — or speech that creates a hostile work or learning environment?